This study applies the Bio-Informational Theory of Emotional Imagery and it attendant methodology to the study of alexithymia. Alexithymia is a complex constellation of behaviors including impoverished fantasies and emotional expression, and concrete thinking which are prevalent in psychosomatic disorders. The construct of alexithymia needs further definition and its etiology is unknown. To help clarify some issues associated with the concept of alexithymia, asthmatic alexithmics, asthmatic nonalexithymics, nonasthmatic alexthymics and healthy controls will be studied. Subjects will be classified with an MMPI alexithymia scale that was developed on patients with chronic respiratory diseases. Autonomic (heart rate and respiration) and central (EEG evoked responses and power spectra) nervous system activity, subjective reports, and suggestability measures will be obtained as subjects are presented image provoking scripts containing stimulus and response propositions depicting emotional (fear/anxiety), active, and relaxation scenes. Each imagery script will entail baseline, read/image, image, recovery, and rate epochs of 50 seconds each. Statistical analyses will involve ANOVAs comparing autonomic and central measures during each epoch for the four groups. Similarly psychophysiological, hemispheric differences, and cerebrovisceral responses, associated with the propositional structure of imagery scenes will be compared. Finally, physiological arousal will be correlated with psychological experience occurring during image provocation.